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Towards A Better You
(An original New Year’s reflection from True North Bricks)

Many things are brought to light,
As you look back, in hindsight.
So, take a glance through that lens,
At the past year, as it ends.
Do you have a big regret?
Something you would soon forget?
Moments that were dear to you?
Perhaps you learned a thing or two?
Whatever you see through that glass,
It has already come to pass.
Use lessons learned to help you steer,
Towards a better you this year.

Take a glance through that lens…

Have a happy and safe New Year’s!

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As many of you know, True North Bricks is also on Instagram (click here to check it out). I post many of my LEGO® photos there. Since 2018 is drawing to a close, I thought it would be fun to look back my best photos from the past year. But, how does one decide what their own best photos were? I certainly had a number of pictures that I was particularly proud of. But, then I thought why not let you guys pick them? So, here are my top 10 photos of 2018 as determined by the number of likes that they got from you guys on Instagram. Thanks for sharing this blogging journey with me this year!

10. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom LEGO-fied

On July 5, I had a little fun with some dinosaurs, Minifigures, and bricks to recreate one of the posters from the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom movie. It achieved 92 likes this year.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom LEGO-fied.

09. Don’t Even Breathe…

This shot was published on my birthday, June 23, as part of my review of the Carnotaurus Gyrosphere Escape set (click here to read it). I had a lot of fun photographing the figurines in that set, and this was probably my favorite photo from the shoot. It got 93 likes this year.

Don’t even breathe…

08. Chemical Storage Locker

This past fall, I shared my latest MOC project. It was a police station that I had been planning, building, tearing down, and re-building for years. Each week, I posted a bit about each of the floors in the high-rise. This shot was published on October 30 along with the description of the CSI Lab I created on the fifth floor (click here to read about it). You guys hit the “like” button 93 times for this one. While it got the same number of likes as the previous photo, it gathered almost 200 more impressions, so I put it in 8th place.

Chemical Storage Locker

07. Larry’s Date

The next photo on my countdown comes from February 19. Early in the year, I wrote a series of poems inspired by Larry the LEGO® Barista from the LEGO® Movie. I imagined a chapter out of his life, and wrote it in a series of rhymes over 8 weekly installments (click here to start reading the story). This was by far the most popular of the photos I took to go along with the poems, earning 99 likes.

Larry’s date

06. Albus Dumbledore

I have been slowly working my way through various photos, poems, and coloring pages starring the Minifigures from the Harry Potter series. The headmaster of Hogwarts has been one of the most popular so far, earning 101 likes. He was published on November 19, along with a Minifigure Monday poem inspired by the character (click here to read it).

Albus Dumbledore

05. Christmas Lloyd

Halfway through the list comes Lloyd Garmadon… the Christmas ornament. This was one of Hallmark’s keepsake releases for 2018 (click here to read more about it). I buy one for my geek tree every year, and for the last two years I have been treated with Minifigure inspired additions. This one got 102 likes when I published it on December 11.

Christmas Lloyd

04. Hunting for Dinosaurs

My birthday was a good day for popular photos. This was another one from my Carnotaurus Gyrosphere Escape review. This was actually a surprise entry for me. I just snapped this shot without putting much thought or effort into it, but it seems to have resonated with a lot of people. It reached 104 likes.

Hunting for Dinosaurs

03. Harley Quinn

Always a fan favorite, this picture of Harley was my reigning champion for weeks after it was published on September 13. It was taken while I was shooting for my Joker’s Notorious Lowrider review (click here to read it). Harley reached 107 likes.

Harley Quinn

02. Living with this Infamy

Another surprise for me was the popularity of this Ninjago inspired photo. It was taken for a poem that I published on December 9 (click here to read it). The work was inspired by Lloyd Garmadon from the LEGO® Ninjago Movie. I spent some time trying to recreate the mood of the poem in a photo, but I didn’t expect so many people to like it. This shot got the thumbs up 109 times.

Living with this Infamy

01. Sybill Trelawney

The number one spot goes to another of my Harry Potter inspired works. This was the first one that I published, on November 5. It also went along with a Minifigure Monday poem (click here to read it). I had a lot of fun learning to create the look of a spell being cast using Photoshop. It was taken using a piece of scrapbook paper as the background. It achieved 120 likes.

Sybill Trelawney

Thanks again for all the support this year. True North Bricks has grown by leaps and bounds in 2018 because of all of you. I hope to share more of my journey with you all in 2019.

Warmest wishes for the new year,

-Tom

p.s. If you like the content at True North Bricks, I would love it if you followed me here on WordPress (click the “follow” option in the menu to your right), Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter for regular updates.

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An Inclusive Holiday Wish
(An original holiday greeting from True North Bricks)

It’s once again that time of year,
The time to spread some festive cheer.
Do you wait for Father Frost,
Or hope that Santa won’t get lost?
You may cheer “hyvää Joulua”,
Or even happy Hanukkah.
A joyous Kwanzaa wish for you,
And a restful Solstice too.
Go sing in Saint Lucia’s light,
Or just sleep through the longest night.
Enjoy a break from work or school,
As well as celebrating Yule.
It might just be the end of year,
And Omisoka drawing near.
Whatever be your holiday,
Season’s greetings, I will say.

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Living With This Infamy
(An original LEGO® inspired poem from True North Bricks)

In the street they stop and stare,
I pretend that I don’t care.
Whispers fly from ear to ear,
I pretend that I don’t hear.
Living with this infamy,
I cling to my dignity.
Walking by, my head held high,
But, inside I want to cry.